Research and analysis

COVID-19: PCR testing in contacts of cases in England

Descriptive analysis of testing patterns of close contacts of people with a positive COVID-19 test result, focusing on uptake and positivity rates of PCR tests.

• From: UK Health Security Agency
• Published: 3 November 2022

Applies to England

Documents

PCR testing in contacts of cases (without release) in England

Ref: UKHSA publications gateway number GOV-13103

PDF, 1.52 MB, 67 pages

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Details

The purpose of this study is to conduct a descriptive analysis of the testing patterns of close contacts.

The analysis focuses on the uptake and positivity rates of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, including breakdowns by demography and vaccination status.

The analysis provides insight into the effectiveness of the policy, with higher uptake and higher positivity being regarded as indicators of successful targeting of those at increased risk of transmission.

The analysis uses data from 2 sources:

• testing data from the National Pathology Exchange (NPEx)
• data on contact tracing from Test and Trace’s Contact Tracing and Advisory Service (CTAS)

The analysis is then structured into 2 parts:

• analysis of the testing data alone, with contacts identified through the ‘test reason’ field during online ordering
• analysis of a data set created by matching NPEx and CTAS to give PCR tests taken by contacts appearing in CTAS

Published 3 November 2022